A Way Out

Singapore premiere at NLB

By Qiong Zheng

With post show discussion by A/P Yang Peidong, a sociologist with NIE

Ma Baijun, 12, a primary 2 student in very rural China. Xu Jia, 19, a high school graduate from ok-rural China. Yuan Hanhan, 17, high school dropout from urban China.

This documentary traces the lives of 3 protagonists and questions social-class divide, education system in China, widening urban-rural divide, linguistics capabilities as social capital and mindsets of different groups of people.

Ma tries to study and desires to but is unable to catch up with her companions. Her family moves to less rural China but she's unable to get used to urban life. Drops out by 15 and wants to work in the City but is unable to look for a job. She returns home and joins her cousins who are expecting babies at really young ages of 20. Her grandfather expects her to marry someone as her way out of this rut. The story ends with her marrying her second cousin.

Xu tries very hard to pass National exam (Gao kao) and get into college. He successfully did get into an ok college, graduated with civil engineering cert and had to compete with tons others to get a job. He finally succeeded but says he felt like he had sold his soul away when he signed the contract. He married his uni mate cos his mum says a man can only start a career after marriage. Maybe it's because after marriage he would need to take care of a family and thus work very hard.

Yuan is from a middle class family in urban China. She dropped out of high school, started painting, rented her own space/studio and started selling drinks. Entered German art University and met a fellow China Chinese. During her summer breaks, she interns at Shanghai. Upon graduation, she returned to China and started her own firm with a German sounding name. She doesn't feel that not having a secondary school education is of any hindrance and she would not starve to death. This is unlike Ma who sometimes has not enough to eat, drink and study. 

The sad fact is social economic class determines the starting point for a better basic life. Ma does not have access to education, needless to say she is unable to join the national exam for a promised better life. Xu did use the national exam to get a somewhat better life with food, money, career, wife, house but the future of his job (and therefore life) is still uncertain. Yuan is born upper middle class and takes education for granted. But with her talent and entrepreneur spirit she's able to carve a career. 

I don't know why is career seen as a better life. Or the idea that urban life is better than rural. Why is E.g. happiness not measured as a better life? 

Avengers: End Game

We see Ironman about to die in space but he was saved by Captain Marvel. She's so amazingly strong!

Next we see Hawkeye chilling out with his family - daughter and two sons and wife - but they all vanished when Thanos wished half the world away with the 6 Infinity Stones. He goes on crazy killing rampage for at least five years after that.

The Avengers unite - Ironman, Black Widow, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, War Machine. They hunt Thanos down with Nebula and Rocket help but he had already used the Infinity Stone. He's seriously injured and Thor beheaded him out of anger.

Fast forward 5 years, Black Widow keeps tabs on everyone's whereabouts. Stuck in the past. Ironman has a cute daughter with Pepper Potts. Thor has grown really really fat with a pot belly. Ant Man returns from quantum world and explains to Black Widow and Captain America they can go back into time to prevent all this. They got Hulk and convinced Ironman to help write the code. They devised a plan to go back into three periods of time to get six stones. 

Hulk, Captain America, Ironman and Ant Man go back to 2012 NYC. Hulk goes to Dr Strange house to persuade the Ancient One to give him the green stone (Time) and promises to return it to its place later. Captain America got the yellow stone (Mind) from the bunch of baddies in the elevator with his trick phrase "Hail Hydra". Ant Man and Ironman lost the square stone (Space) and Loki escapes with it. Ironman and Captain America go back to SHIELD headquarters in 1970 to steal an earlier version, and 4 bottles of Pym particles to help them travel back to now. We meet Hank Pym the inventor and also Captain Marvel's beau who will become his wife later.

Rocket and Thor return to 2013 Asgard to get Reality stone from Thor's nurse. He chats up his mum first though and she gives him a whole load of encouragement. Rocket does all the stealing and they leave after Thor got his original hammer, showing he's worthy to hold it. 

Nebula and War Machine go to Morag 2014 and got the Power stone before Star Lord did. But because Nebula is half machine, her father Thanos intercepted her and got her to reveal her plans. Thor sends the bad Nebula to present time. Hawkeye and Black Widow go to Vomir in 2014 but they meet Red Skull who is punished to guard this Soul Stone. They need to sacrifice one they love to get it. Black Widow dies and only Hawkeye returns.

They make a glove to hold all six stones and Hulk wished half the World back. While they were rejoicing because E.g. Hawkeye finally gets a call from his wife, bad Nebula used the Time Machine to bring back Thanos who wants to destroy Earth. Good Nebula convinces 2014 Gamora to kill the bad Nebula, which they did. Hawkeye managed to take the glove with the stones and they passed to the good guys and hope to dump into the time machine which they were starting up in a car. But Thanos destroyed the car. 

All the good guys join in the fight - Dr Strange and his monks, Wakanda and their amazing tribe, some flying unicorns, Thor's friends from Asgard, the Guardians of the Galaxy people and Bucky. We see a display of women power (woohoo!!) And Captain Marvel saves the day after Thor, Captain America couldn't defeat Thanos. Ironman steals the glove from Thanos and wished them all away. Ironman is morally wounded and dies but his daughter is still cute and alive after his passing. Means she was conceived like before he went to fight.

Thor makes Valkyrie the king of New Asgard. Star Lord pursues 2014 Gamora and Captain America returns the stones and the 2013 hammer back with the extra 2 Pym particles. But he stays in 1970 to marry his wife and became old. Captain America passes on the shield to Falcon as new Captain America.

There are no post show sneak peaks so don't bother staying back. There's only some bell tolling away with the text Marvel. 

Captain Marvel

This is one amazingly strong superhero.

Vers/ Carol Danvers sees flashes of her past. In this world, she's sent on a mission to capture some Skrulls. Unfortunately, she's captured by the Skrulls and her memories extracted. She sees herself as a young girl, and being on the armed force. Breaking free, she lands on planet 53a (Earth). Bumped into Agent Of Shield, Fury who initially wanted to capture her but found out she's super strong and can track the Skrulls who can shapeshift into any being. They went to find Dr Wendy Lawson's file and discovered the termination of her project and that she was the last person to fly the plane. They were tracked by the Skrulls and escaped to Louisiana to look for Maria Rambeau, Carol's fellow pilot friend, with Goose, Lawson's cat. They helped Carol recall her memories. Head Skrulls Talos infiltrate the home and explains he just wants to find his family and start a new world/ home with Carol's help. Turns out Carol was an air force pilot. She last flew Dr Lawson out and got into an accident. The Kree wanted Dr Lawson work. Before she can destroy it, she was killed by the Carol's teacher. Carol destroyed and absorbed the energy and has supernatural power and strength.

They help Talos find his family who's hiding in the lab in space. They reunite but Kree finds them. Captain Marvel discovers her true power and stops the Kree while the rest flee. Agent Shield, Maria, Goose and the Skrulls. Goose is not just an innocent cat. It has octopus tentacles and swallowed the tesseract. Captain Marvel defeats the Kree and the Skrulls get a new home.

Dynamite Graffiti

Dynamite Graffiti

The lead actor Suei is currently in a police force doing censorship of porn. It is 1984.

Flash back, we see it's 1950s, when he was a preschool. With a younger sister. His mum had TB and blew herself up with her bf, the next door neighbour. The scene of carnage in the forests among the rocks. It's bloody and the policeman fell amongst the carnage. The father is a miner and has tons of dynamite in his house. When he found out his wife was having an affair, he threw her out. Cannot find her anymore until when she blew herself up.

Dad moves on much later to live in the city working in a factory. He moans about how his colleague lost his limbs and was greatly compensated. He could buy a fridge, a car and a gf. He wished he had lost his legs. What a short sighted and desperate thought. In the end he died after slipping in the bathtub, while singing he has no feelings for his wife. It's indeed not true.

Suei moves to the city to work in a factory. It is depressing cos people work till they die. So he moved in to another town to work with his dad. Another factory and really depressing. So he moved out of his dad's place and studied design. That's where he met his gf, the next door neighbour and wife. They moved out after his dad tried to make some moves on her.

We see an evolution on porn next during the hippie era of 1960s in photography from men touting good girl photos, to actual shoots, to 1980s collage, phone sex, billboard posters, cabaret, to offering of services to help men relieve stress, to finally Pachinko videos. Threading the fine line of porn and art. 

Some people say "Art is an explosion". In my case, my mom was the explosion.

We see Suei being entangled in love affairs. With one he groomed for phone sex, as a manager for countless shoots, persuading good girls to bare it all, getting involved with someone working for him while he's chief editor. From illustrator he became writer after. Stealing someone's bf and then dumping her when she gets clingy. And when she returned after recovering from syphilis. It's so sad. She walks with a terrible limp. And yet he can still suggest they go to a love hotel, which she agrees. She insists on walking and falls and he doesn't help her. She struggles to remove her clothes and look beautiful for him. He admires her body. 

It's so sad. I think he's pursuing beauty.

He gets his stuff confiscated many times but cooperates so it's good. He meets weird people who tries to sell him dolls which are super life like. They're even better than those lolita dolls. 

And the one he groomed for phone sex? Well she was admitted into psychiatric ward. She asked if he was making use of her. I think he's just pursuing beauty or money or perfection and had no thoughts of making use. 

Throughout the show, we see the mom and her lover over and over again. Esp. when Suei recounts the story to his friends or at work. So she dies many times over and over.

My Wedding Album

A Singapore Premiere

In transit alt screening

NLB The Pod

This documentary looks at weddings in Taiwan and China. How months of preparation goes into it. And a lot of money.

Two photographers' points of view - one who sells at roadshows and one freelance. They sell love and not just the shoot.

Wedding is a moment but marriage is a lifetime. That's what ended the show.

Two couples one from city Taiwan and another rural China.

The Taiwanese couple. Groom wants sexy shot or boudoir as I've heard today from Annabelle Law Photography, an all women Singaporean photoshoot company. Groom is not known to be demanding but for the wedding he wants like nude shots, the wet look. He lost at least 5kg and tanned himself religiously for it. He's like the star of the night and outshines the bride. They've like lifesize boards which they store somewhere after the wedding in their house, 3 kids later. Groom goes to work in HK and that's how they ended the documentary.

Rural China. They spend their yearly income from selling their Apple harvest and borrow money from relatives and neighbours. After the harvest income, they're still short of usd2,000! Groom is raised by grandparents as he's from a divorced family. Everyone is excited as this is the first shoot of their life esp. for the grandparents. One baby later, baby uses the photo to step on and grab. Groom initially wanted a lenticular print. ... Wow. His ideas quite advance.

We see many brides taking photoshoot in China all at one time by different photographers. So many. Couples prepare at lease a year in advance. Apparently in Singapore, Annabelle shared that couples spend $50,000-$150,000! Maybe overseas wedding photoshoot. For that perfect shot captured in 2d.

New Beginning

Finally got the chance to do some real packing today because clearing out the office left me with so much materials. Dug out my Mathematics notes about Computational Analysis and Basics of Mathematics. Omg those were the days. And kept those that were marginally still relevant in my life today. Like interview tips and Bahasa Melayu.

And all those old catalogues I've accumulated over the years before I joined the museum. Goodness. It dated way back to 2006. Kept only the useful artist essays and resource ideas.

And those travel brochures. So many files. Kept those which were memorable. Like that cute Totoro picture.

And newspaper clippings. Four files full. Started from secondary school. Even posted them on construction paper.

Now I'm just resorting keeping them in soft copy. Even then I great losing my memories. And knowledge. And skills.

Tomorrow Is Another Day

As part of Singapore MINDS Film Fest
Starring Teresa Mo and Ling Man-lung

Teresa Mo is a mother of a 20 year old autistic child. The film begins with an interview of mom where her son helps out to give out Chinese fans in dance class. She expresses her joy and pain of looking after him. It's just like taking care of 30 kids at once.

Her husband, a driving instructor is having an affair with one of his students, a young nubile girl, Daisy. He goes to visit her at her place, have trysts and one day she found his home address from FB and brings him soup when his wife went out grocery shopping.

His wife already suspects extra martial affair and seems like this is not the first. He has many late night schedules and his clothes reek of women's perfume. She came back that day to find her son in a distressed state because Daisy made him touch her boobs. Son expresses repressed shame by humping the pillow. Wife confronts husband and he moves out. He texted after asking for a divorce.

We see how wife plots to kill Daisy. And how she has to deal with son alone when he melts down. She feels guilty for bearing an autistic son and thinks it's her fault for not taking care of herself during pregnancy. At that time husband seemed to be having an affair already.

Wife watches HK movies of how to create an alibi by getting to Shenzhen through Lo ? Metro then taking the boat back to HK. She envisions stabbing Daisy mercilessly and tracked down Daisy's schedule. 5pm is the time she's alone. She does all this with her son whom she thinks doesn't understand anything.

She tried to execute once but chicken out because she's caught on CCTV. She had sought help from one who sells mobile phone who has contact of this auntie who can escort people back in cargo ships. Turns out this aunty has a son with Down Syndrome and helped her. After this Reece, mom gave son sleeping pills and tied him to bed. The son gave her a tender kiss before sleeping.

She found support from knitting aunties and one shared that her husband passed away one night in his sleep due to exhaustion. They have no children. So mom found support with these aunties and went KTV. Mom pain and relieve is so powerful and evident in this scene. The aunties saw this knife which dropped out of mom's bag one day.

Mom tries to start a new life with a job. First two turned her down as she has an autistic son. Finally she could sell ice-cream. Dad chatted with son without mom's notice and asked if son likes him. Son is happy and says yes. Dad promises to bring him to see shark and fish, his son's favourite animal. Dad leaves and son runs to find him. He gets distracted by fish truck and goes to aquarium which he frequents with his dad. Mom picks him up from police station.

Daisy provokes mom by saying husband left her because she bore him a retarded. Mom attempts second murder but was stopped when her son rips drawings of her killing. He sees and knows more than others. Mom and son are like one.

Husband returns because he cannot bear to lose his son. He felt like a father when his son finally held his hand after 7 years of getting to know him better. He apologizes to wife and says she must be even more tired. They go to the sea aquarium together as a family.

Autistic people are also human beings are can be even more sensitive than atypical people. They see everything and pick up emotions even more clearly.

It's a moving film and the cast acting was stellar.